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Working Harder than a Greek or an MBA Student?

Curated by CLAI

GREEKS WORK HARDER THAN ALL OF EUROPE: As it turns out, Greeks work hard. Greeks work more hours than everyone else in Europe — even more than workaholic Americans. (Caveat: Long hours at the office don’t always equate to high productivity).

Though they work a lot, Greeks are, by and large, not rich. Like poor people everywhere, they have to work more just to get by. Almost one-quarter of Greece’s 11 million people are at risk of poverty, the highest percentage among European Union countries.

(OECD. Graphic: Tobey – Washington Post)

MBA TRAVEL? “It’s all about the people” is a maxim that seems to flow through business-school campuses. Group travel, many say, is one way to build a network.

In many M.B.A. programs, lifestyle experiences are gaining on academic ones in importance, as seen in much busier evening and weekend schedules of bars, parties and trips.

Some student-organized travel is career-focused but carries no academic credit. That includes the Career Trek at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where professional student clubs introduce classmates to opportunities in areas like private equity, biotech and retailing.

Excursions can mean spending $3,000 before the first day of class. At the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, many first-year students choose among about 35 trips — five- to eight-day excursions to places like Costa Rica and Zanzibar, in an effort to help first-year students get to know one another. These student-led trips cost $2,100 to $3,600 a person.

As opposed to students in law or medical school, many enter business school with previous work experience in lucrative fields and may have substantial savings. Some M.B.A. candidates are in school on the dime of their companies, and have agreed to return to work in exchange for their tuition. Others come from very wealthy families and have trust funds.